Blackhawks visit Flyers in afternoon clash

Hockey Betting Lines

03/13/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One of the top teams in the Western Conference will head to the East Coast today as the Chicago Blackhawks visit the Philadelphia Flyers for an afternoon battle at Wachovia Center.

The Blackhawks have 93 points on the year, placing them first in the Central Division and two points behind San Jose for the conference lead. With a 14- point lead over Nashville, Chicago is likely headed to its first division title since the 1992-93 campaign.

Chicago dropped a 5-4 regulation decision last Sunday against Detroit but bounced back with Wednesday's close victory over the visiting Los Angeles Kings. Patrick Sharp opened the scoring early in the contest and lit the lamp 2:08 into overtime to give the Blackhawks a 3-2 win in the final test of a four-game homestand at United Center.

An ill-timed turnover by Kings forward Brad Richardson in the neutral zone set up the game-winning tally. Dave Bolland picked up the puck and quickly dished to Sharp, who beat Los Angeles goaltender Jonathan Quick on a breakaway for his 21st goal of the season.

"There are a lot of games left. We just want to build as the playoffs come," Sharp said.

Kris Versteeg had the other goal for Chicago and Patrick Kane added an assist to push his point streak to nine game. Antti Niemi made 28 saves to pick up the win, Chicago's seventh in its last nine games.

The Blackhawks are 18-10-3 as the visiting team this year and, beginning with today's tilt, are playing four of their next five games on the road. Chicago will host Washington Sunday afternoon at United Center.

Cristobal Huet is expected to get the start in goal tonight and Niemi will return to the crease in Sunday's game against the Capitals.

Meanwhile, the Flyers come into today still very much in a fight for a playoff spot. With 74 points, Philadelphia is tied with Montreal for the sixth seed out of eight postseason berths in the East.

Philadelphia was dealt a decisive loss by visiting Boston on Thursday, marking just the second regulation loss for the Flyers in 10 games (7-2-1). Tuukka Rask stopped 31-of-32 shots and Patrice Bergeron added a goal and two assists to lead the Bruins to the 5-1 rout of the Flyers.

Jeff Carter recorded the lone goal for the Flyers, whose two-game win streak came to an end.

"We've been not playing the greatest (lately), and I think we've been getting away with it on the power play and scoring timely goals," said Flyers captain Mike Richards. "But tonight we got what we deserved."

Starter Michael Leighton was tagged for four goals on 25 shots in 31-plus minutes. Brian Boucher finished the game with 11 stops, but Leighton is likely to get the start today. Boucher could earn the start in Sunday's game versus the New York Rangers.

Today's test marks the end of a four-game homestand for the Flyers, who are 20-12-2 as the host this year. Philadelphia's test against the Rangers on Sunday kicks off a four-game road trip.

This afternoon's tilt marks the only regular season meeting between the Blackhawks and Flyers this year. Chicago pounded the visiting Flyers, 5-1, last year, ending Philadelphia's six-game winning streak in the series. The Blackhawks come into today with losses in their last seven games in the City of Brotherly Love.

Wwwfreescoreboard Hockey Betting News

<< Panthers shoot for rare victory over Sharks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Florida needs all the victories it can muster from now until the end of the season to even have a chance at making the playoffs. The Panthers could have a tough time getting a win today, when they visit the mighty San Jose Sh

<< Leach faces James in Texas Tech lawsuit deposition
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -Mike Leach is sitting across from his accuser as Craig James gives sworn testimony in the former coach's lawsuit against Texas Tech.James, whose complaint of mistreatment of his son led to Leach's firing, declined to comment Sat

<< UNLV knocks off BYU to reach Mountain West title game
Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tre'Von Willis finished with 18 points and made critical free throws down the stretch, as UNLV upended No. 14 BYU, 70-66, to reach the championship game of the Mountain West Conference Tournament. Willis

<< McDonald plays role of sage for young Blue Jays
DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) -Becoming a coach isn't on John McDonald's radar just yet, but while he's playing he enjoys being a mentor to his fellow Toronto Blue Jays infielders.``I would hope the younger players would use a player like me as a source of kno

<< Oregon QB Masoli suspended for 2010 after burglary
Just 10 weeks ago the future couldn't have looked brighter for Oregon football.Sure, the Ducks had just lost to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, but the team was back in Pasadena for the first time since 1995. And Oregon was going into the 2010 season a

Hawks welcome Pistons to Dixie >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The playoff bound Atlanta Hawks return to the cozy confines of Philips Arena Saturday to take on a Detroit Pistons team headed for the NBA Draft Lottery. The Hawks salvaged the finale of their recent three-game road trip o

Surging Magic continue push towards postseason, visit Wizards >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The lowly Washington Wizards will continue playing out the string tonight when they host Eastern Conference power Orlando. The Wizards lost their sixth straight game last night in Auburn Hills when Will Bynum provided a sp

Nuggets press on without Karl in Memphis >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Nuggets continue their push to the postseason without head coach George Karl tonight against a desperate Memphis Grizzlies team. The Nuggets played without Karl, who is undergoing radiation and chemotherapy to

Spurs shoot for 16th straight win over Clippers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There are quite a few rivalries in the NBA but don't count the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers among them. A rivalry generally contains a little give-and-take or back-and-forth. When the Spurs and Clippers get t

Mavs aim to push win streak to 14 vs. Knicks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The red-hot Dallas Mavericks will try to stretch their season-high winning streak to 14 games tonight when they resume a four-game homestand against the woeful New York Knicks. Dallas kept its longest winning streak of the

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING

NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines .
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sports betting